Fear Inside
by necowaffer
Summary: Vegeta makes good on his promise to blast Goten into another dimension and promptly ruins Goten's life. [BraGoten] Now in easier to read chapters.
1. Default Chapter

I do not own Dragonball Z.

Fear Inside - Chapter 1

* * *

Goten flew as fast he could over a path that he'd taken a million times in his life, a path that led to the city that housed the most prominent business world. West City. Home to Capsule Corporation, his best friend, and the love of his life, all under the same roof.

He cut through the crisp midmorning air and glanced down at his watch. He'd overslept this morning and was approximately forty-five minutes behind his intended schedule. It was almost ten a.m. and Vegeta would be finished with his morning workout in an hour. That was ok, though. It would be an hour well spent with the prince's pride. His daughter Bra and the reason he was up at such an ungodly hour of the morning. He'd never wake up this early for anybody else. She was the only person worth all the trouble and risks involved.

Goten put on an extra burst of speed and soared higher into the clouds. He knew by memory that this was the last stretch of forest before the city limits. Already he could see the vast metropolis on the horizon and the Capsule Corp. main building gleaming in the sun, calling to him like a beacon. He was almost there.

Ten minutes later, he touched down behind the building and looked around. There was no one in sight as far as he could tell. Both Trunks and Bulma would be in the office this morning, as it was a Monday. He checked the gravity room to see that it was indeed in use. Vegeta was definitely a creature of habit.

Feeling that everything was right with the world, Goten strode across the lawn and into the living quarters. The house was quiet as he silently made his way to the basement stairs that would lead him down and into the family's private labs. He knew this was where Bra would be. It was where she has devoted every available moment of her free time for the last month, working on her new invention. The new invention that took up most of the little time he got to spend with her in the first place.

Goten reached the bottom of the stairs and made a right, soundlessly walking through the brightly lite halls. He could have walked these halls with his eyes closed. He knew them so well. At the end of the hall was a door with a small pink nameplate that read 'Bra'. The nameplate was old, a relic from her childhood. He remembered on her 16th birthday she took it down from her bedroom door and moved it here, where it has stayed ever since.

Goten shook his head in spite of himself. He could hardly remember what he had for lunch yesterday, but recalling useless bits of 'Bra' information took no effort at all. It just showed that his devotion to her was deep and had been there for a long time. He pushed the door open and stepped into the room. Immediately his eyes fell on the room's soul occupant.

Bra had her back to him, completely engrossed in her work. She did not hear him come in. Goten stood back for a moment and relished the sight of her. She wore her red, static-free jump suit underneath a long white work coat. Her long blue hair fell in shiny waves down her back and gently swayed with her every move. Goten was captivated.

Slowly, he made his way to her and wrapped his arms around her slender waist. Bra, who had indeed been engrossed with her work, jumped a mile high into the air at the contact and did the first thing that came to mind. She elbowed her attacker as hard as she could.

There was a sharp intake of breath, then her would-be attacker hit the ground with a thud. Bra spun around, instinctively lowering into a battle stance. All she saw was Goten kneeling on the ground holding his side. A delicate hand flew to her mouth as she gasped.

"Goten," she said kneeling beside him. "What are you doing?"

Goten grinned. "Apparently," he said while standing, "getting beat up by girls."

Bra gave him a mock punch on the arm. "Well Son," she said with a smile, "you shouldn't go sneaking up on people, now should you?"

Goten looked at her sideways. "And how many guys do you have sneaking up on you like that?" He asked with some seriousness to his tone.

She blushed and wrapped her arms around his waist. "None," she answered honestly. "What are you doing here so early anyway?"

Goten smiled, loving the feel of her in his arms. "I came to see you. Ever since you started work on that new thingy of yours, I haven't seen you as much."

This proved to be the wrong thing to say, as Bra's attention was turned back to her new toy. "Honestly Goten, I haven't been spending that much time on it. I just saw you last night." She said as she picked up one of her tools and began work once again.

"That was two days ago," Goten whined as he sat on a nearby stool, but she didn't hear him.

The two sat in silence after that, Bra working methodically on some circuitry and Goten silently watching her and waiting for his turn at her attentions. No more than five, maybe ten minutes passed before Goten's ire began to grow. This hadn't been what he'd come to do. He wanted to spend time with her, not her toy - what was that anyway? It almost looked like she was working on some kind of handgun. His curiosity peeked. Why would she be building such a thing?

He peered over her shoulder for a better look. On closer inspection, he saw that it indeed resembled a gun of some sort, but no firearm he'd ever seen had so many wires and microchips it in. Was this some new sort of weapon to use against an unforeseen foe? Curiosity finally got the best of him.

"What are you working on?" he asked breaking the silence.

Bra jumped, obviously having forgotten that Goten was there at all. "You really want to know?" she asked turning to him, one slender blue eyebrow raised.

Goten nodded once. "What's important to you is to me, B-Chan."

She gave him a sweet, shy smile and began explaining the more complicated schematics of her machine. Goten lost himself in the musical sound of her voice. She hadn't really answered his question, but instead was explaining what her current problem with the thing was. He knew that he could be of no real help to her, but he loved the sound of her voice and hearing her talk was pleasurable none-the-less.

Eventually, his mind drifted and turned in on itself. God, she's beautiful, Goten thought while watching her talk animatedly about the circuitry she was currently working on. Not for the first time he amazed at how such a gorgeous and intelligent creature as Bra could have agreed to be his. The relationship was nothing short of incredible.

He was there the day she was born and has watched her grow from a child to the ravishing woman she is now. She'd always been like a kid sister to him, the same way Pan was. He'd known this girl all her life and yet, he realized that he hadn't really known her at all. Not the real her. He'd known Trunks' little sister. The little brat that would always rat them out when they did something they weren't supposed to.

However, Bra was not a little kid anymore. She was, by definition, an adult and has been for sometime. Her transformation into womanhood had gone completely unnoticed by his dense mind and would still be if Trunks had been home that night almost a year ago.

Goten had come to his best friend, bored and looking for trouble. He'd been sorely disappointed to find that he wasn't home. Vegeta had taken him on a spur of the moment training trip. So, he had walked the quiet halls of his second home, debating on whether or not to get out his little black book and call one of his female friends for company. That was when he saw her and something inside of him twisted at the sight of her creamy pale skin against the red fabric of her pajamas. It wasn't indecent, simply a red tank top and shorts, something he'd seen her wear a thousand times before. He didn't know what it was - the time, the place, and the way the light seemed to shimmer around her - but at that moment, she was an enchanting goddess.

It also didn't hurt that she had a big bowl of Goten's favorite apple cinnamon popcorn in her hands, either.

So, he decided that there was worse trouble he could be getting into than spending the night picking on Trunks' little sister. He'd been wrong, so very wrong.

They had talked about everything and nothing at all that night and in the days that followed, he found that he couldn't turn his thoughts away from her. He loved the way her eyes sparkled when he made her laugh or the casual toss of her long, pale blue hair. He almost felt like a pervert when he'd close his eyes and imagine those luscious full lips pressed against his own.

Oh, he knew that he'd gotten into the thick of it when he found himself making up excuses to spend time with her. She was unlike any other girl he'd ever gone for. Usually, he chose ditzy girls so he could have more than one without worrying about one finding out about the other. Not Bra. There was no way to pull the wool over her eyes and he admired that about her. She was better than that anyway.

So, after months of agony over his infatuation, he finally got up the courage to ask her to be his. He'd been beyond delight when she reciprocated his feelings, but she also added, 'I don't want to be just another notch in your belt, Son Goten. Men like you never change.'

He was undaunted by that and determined to make her see that he could change - that he would change - for her. He took his precious little black book, the one he'd had since he was 14 and filled with the numbers and faces of his past conquest, and burned it in front of her. It was all the reassurance she needed.

Goten looked over at his woman now - she was still talking, more so to herself than to him - and smiled, remembering the way she had fallen into his arms that day and fulfilled his fantasies with their first kiss and he has never looked back.

He wasn't sure of the spell his enchanting princess had him under that he would go to such extremes as to burn his book, but he had no regrets. The last few months with her have been the best he'd ever experienced with a woman. She could be difficult at times, but it was worth it all. Their relationship was kept a secret from family and friends. A mutual agreement in case things didn't work out. They wanted this time to be about them and not about what their family thought about it. But as time went on, Goten began to realize that he was in love with her and wanted the whole world to know, regardless of the consequences.

That was why he was here so early today. He planned on proposing to Bra and then whisking her away for a private ceremony. Then she'd be his forever and there would be nothing anyone could do about it. That is, if he could get up the courage to ask her.

Just thinking about it made his palms grow sweaty. They never really talked about love and life together and he wasn't sure how she felt toward him. He knew that if he asked her now there would be no turning back and her answer could change the course of their relationship forever. But he couldn't go another night without her in his arms and wondering if she felt the same.

With a sudden burst of confidence, Goten pulled Bra away from her work and into his arms. "Goten," she said with a gasp, turning those dazzling blue eyes his way, "what are you doing?"

"Shh," Goten hushed her softly while pressing a finger to her lips.

He grabbed her hand, making her drop whatever tool happened to be there and pulled her close. Bra sighed and gave into his strong embrace, resting her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arms around his neck. They stayed that way for the longest time, Bra relishing the way Goten held her as if she'd fade away and Goten trying to get up the nerve to change everything.

Finally, he broke the embrace, pulling back just enough to look into her eyes. They shined up at him with curiosity and something he thought could be love. It was all the encouragement he needed. One hand reached into his pocket while the other lifted up her chin and he bent his head slowly to take what could possibly be their last kiss together.

The kiss was slow and sweet and so much like the first one they shared that it made his heart flutter against his chest. As the kiss ended, he took a step back and knelt down on one knee. Everything from that moment on seemed to go in slow motion. He looked up into her eyes, allowing his own to show all that he felt for her. He watched as her eyes widened with realization and her lips parted in a silent gasp. The ring was out of his pocket now, clutched tightly in his shaking hand. His mouth opened with the words poised on the tip of his tongue and just as the first syllable left his mouth the world around him exploded into bright stars full of pain.

His mind filled with confusion as he felt his body fly across the room and smash into the nearest wall. With a groan he began to pull himself up only to have his body yanked from the debris for him. Upon opening his eyes, he saw that a bus hadn't hit him it was something much worse.

"You dare." Vegeta said, his voice soft and full of malice.

Goten frowned at the Saiyan Prince, cursing his luck. Of course, Vegeta would finish his training early today. The bastard probably knew he'd been here the entire time. His resolve hardened. He would not turn tail and run. If he did so now, Bra would be lost from forever.

Getting his legs back underneath him, he smacked Vegeta's hands away. "Why do you always ruin everything, Vegeta?" He asked coldly.

Vegeta said nothing but his rage showed plainly on his face. Goten was taken by surprise when he struck again, this time with a well place elbow to his throat crushing his Adam's apple and bringing him to his knees. His eyes filled with tears as he spit up blood. The wind was knocked from his lungs and he realized with horror that he couldn't draw in another breath. Vegeta had crushed his windpipe with one blow.

With a snort, Vegeta kicked Goten savagely in the ribs, sending him skittering across the floor. Today was not his day, he decided as he stalked toward Goten's inert form, and beating the crap out a Son would make him feel better about destroying the gravity room again. Besides, the brat had no right to touch his daughter, let alone think about asking for her hand without his permission. The kid needed a few lessons in respect and he was more than happy to teach him.

Bra stood back still in a daze from what she thought Goten was going to do. He might have proposed to her if her father hadn't come in and ruined the moment. It seemed as if Vegeta wanted her to be single and alone all her life and the thought made her blood boil. In his eyes, there would never be anyone good enough for her, but he never bothered asking her how she felt. Now that she finally found someone she could see herself with for the rest of her life, he wanted to kill him. All the other times he scared her boyfriends away, she'd stand back and let him, waiting to see if any of them would stand up to him. Of course none of them did. They weren't stupid, but she was tired of letting her father run her life like this. She simply wanted to have a normal relationship for once and felt that it was high time she let him know.

With her face set in grim determination, she charged at her father, jumping on his back. She didn't really have a plan on how to stop him, fighting wasn't something she liked to do, but something was better than nothing, she supposed.

"Stop it, daddy!" she yelled in his ear.

Vegeta stopped momentarily, turning his head to look behind him at his daughter. "Not now, Bra. Daddy is busy. Get off."

"No." Bra replied firmly. "I'm not going to let you hurt him. He's my choice. Not yours."

Vegeta growled, her words making him even angrier than before. The last thing that he wanted was to be related to the Son family. He knew inevitably that the final choice was hers and there would be nothing he could do to stop it, but that didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun and scare the shit out of the boy.

He shook himself hard, trying to shake her off of him, but she held strong. "Fine," he ground out, "you can come with me." And with that, he started moving toward his prey again.

"No!" Bra cried and looked around for a way to stop him. Never before has she wished for her brother more than she did right then. Trunks would have had a way to stop him or at least do something stupid to divert his attention, although at this point she doubted that even if Freeza showed up her father would care less.

_Come on, Bra_, she thought to herself, _you're a resourceful girl! Think of something!_

She was becoming desperate and thinking that maybe biting his ear off would do the trick when they passed by one of the support beams. Acting fast, she snagged one of her legs around it, pulling them to a halt. Quickly, she wrapped the other around it too and locked them together. They weren't going anywhere.

Vegeta fumed when he figured out what she had done. "Let go," he growled.

"No. Not until you promise not to hurt him." Bra responded.

"No." Her father replied stubbornly.

"Fine. I'm not letting go until you do," she said being just as stubborn.

"Suit yourself." Vegeta said and began moving forward again.

Bra cried out as her legs stretched painfully, but she refused to let go. Her father wouldn't seriously hurt her, she knew, so all she had to do was hang on until he tired out. She may not be a fighter but she was just as tough as the rest of them and planned on hanging in there.

Vegeta ground his teeth together when he realized that she wasn't letting go and that she was starting to choke him. He needed to a figure out a way to end this quickly without ripping off one of his daughter's legs. He was sure that wouldn't go over well. Looking around he saw Bra's machine she'd been working on for the last month or so. With so much time being put into it, he was sure it was some kind of weapon of destruction.

Meanwhile, Goten was finding that his injuries weren't as bad as he first thought them to be. After the initial shock of having the wind knocked out of him, he realized that he could still breathe. His throat was sore and swollen but was already beginning to heal up. He took a grateful breath and watched as the dots began to fade from in front of his eyes. Vaguely he wondered why Vegeta wasn't stomping his head in when he heard Bra scream his name. Turning in the direction the voice came from; all he saw was a blinding white light. With no time to move, the beam hit him square in the chest and everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Dragonball Z.

Fear Inside - Chapter 2

* * *

Falling.

That was the first sensation he felt when he regained consciousness. He was slowly falling through a void of darkness. Fear came in a close second. There were the monsters in his head in this place that invoked feelings of fear. He felt as if he were falling through every nightmare he could have ever had in his lifetime. And all at the same time, there was nothing there. It threatened to drive him mad, but at the last possible second, his slow decent sped up and the next thing he knew he was hitting the ground. Hard.

Goten coughed and groaned, rolling onto his back. He lay there for a while, not wanting to move or draw any attention to himself. He wasn't quite sure what happened, but he didn't want Vegeta to find him just yet. Opening his eyes, he saw that now he was outside. The sun was shining brightly and the sky was a clear, crystal blue.

_Weird_, he thought and began to sit up to have a look around. Before he was even half way into a sitting position, he felt the air around him being displaced and just as suddenly as Vegeta had appeared before, he felt the cold hardness of steel pressed to his throat.

Instinct told him to stop before he knew what was going on. He could only think of one person with such precision and control over a sword like that and sighed in relief.

"Hey Trunks," Goten said as cheerfully as he could.

He wasn't sure if his friend was mad at him about his sister or not. The way he held his sword to his throat told him that the wrong thing said could be devastating. He lifted his eyes toward the man that stood above him and waited for him to remove the offending weapon. Instead, he was forced back slightly as the metal was pressed closer.

"I don't know who you are or what you're doing here, just because you know my name doesn't mean I'm going to let you up. Explain yourself." The purple haired man said his face set in an angry scowl.

Goten blinked and looked at his friend. "Trunks, it's me, Goten. Hey, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about your sister and me. We were hoping to avoid things like this and what happened with your father. Come man . . . " Goten said trailing off at the last part.

"What?" Trunks asked with a suspicious look on his face. "What the hell are you talking about? I don't know you. Are you friend or foe? Answer that now."

Goten frowned. "I'm your friend. We grew up together remember? Son Goten?"

Trunks took a step back and lowered his sword, but did not drop his guard. "Did you say Son?" he asked softly.

"Yeah." Goten said, "What the hell is going on? What's wrong with you?"

Goten took a closer look at his friend and for the first time noticed the vague differences in him. It was still the same person, but the look was harder, his stance that of a seasoned warrior -- both of which his friend did not possess. His Trunks, the one he grew up with, would have made a joke by now or something. This other person wearing Trunks' face was all seriousness.

"Son," The other Trunks said, "like Son Goku?"

"Yeah, he's my father." Goten answered looking at this Trunks suspiciously as he was looking at him.

"Impossible." Trunks declared. "Son Goku has been dead for more than three decades and he only had one son. Son Gohan, my mentor and best friend and he is dead also."

Goten jumped up at this, shock plainly showing on his face. "Where the hell am I?" he all but shouted.

Looking around he saw that the landscape was marred with giant pot marks. Hills and valleys where there should have been a bustling city. The ground around him was scorched and scarred, as if a great battle had taken place not too long ago. The vegetation was just beginning to grow back and with dawning realization, he knew where and when he was.

With a look of horror on his face, he turned to Trunks. "Mirai no Trunks?" he asked in a breathless whisper.

Mirai Trunks was taken aback by the title the mysterious man had given him. He hadn't been called that since his trip to the past. "Why would you call me that?" he demanded.

"Tell me," Goten began, "you don't know who I am and my father is dead here. All of earth's warriors are dead, aren't they?"

"Who are you?" Mirai Trunks asked again, beginning to get a strange feeling about this man.

"It's true, isn't it? You are the legendary Mirai Trunks that came from the future to save our past." Goten fisted his hands into his hair feeling as if he was going to go insane at any given moment. "That son of a bitch!" he screamed.

Mirai Trunks took a step back, unsure of the man that stood in front of him. "Yes," he said at last, "I did travel back in time to save my past, but instead it created another time line. Are you suggesting that you are from that time?" he asked.

Goten released his hair and nodded his head. "Yes, Son Goku is my father and Son Gohan is my brother," he looked up at him, "In essence, you created me. Or at least helped to."

Mirai Trunks shook his head in disbelief. "That's impossible. I watch Goku die at the hands of Cell. He didn't get wished back either, so how is it that you exist?"

Goten gave a lopsided grin. "My brother told me that when everyone was training for the Cell Games, father took a break and spent 'quality time' with my mother. I suppose that is where I came from. I never met him until I was seven, though." He sat down on the ground and gestured for Trunks to do the same as he told his story. "There was a tournament and he was granted one day back on earth. That was when I met him. Through some unexpected events and threats toward the earth and universe, my father was granted life again. He lived until about seven years ago when he disappeared with the dragon. It is said that in 100 years he'll return, but we're not sure if that is true."

Mirai Trunks let out a slow whistle. "I never knew," he said in shock. "And my father and mother, what became of them?"

Goten frowned, remembering the reason that he was here. "Alive and well," he said bitterly. "Vegeta is actually the reason that I'm here. He was always threatening to blast me into another dimension, I just never thought he'd really do it."

"Why?" Trunks asked, now filled with curiosity.

"Your sister." Goten stated. "I was dating your sister and he found out about it. Wasn't very happy either," he finished in a grumble.

Trunks blanched. "I have a sister? I mean my counterpart has a sister."

Goten smiled and nodded his head. "Yes, and she's beautiful. She lights up any room and can make you feel as if heaven is on earth. Of course, Vegeta doesn't think I'm good enough for her. No one is good enough for his little princess," he finished in a mocking tone.

Trunks shook his head in amazement. "It sounds as if a lot of things have changed since my last visit."

Goten agreed. "Yeah, and I need to get back to her. Do you still have your time machine laying around?"

Trunks shook his head. "No. We took it apart to use in other machines. How did you get here if you didn't use a time machine?"

"I'm not sure." Goten said in a defeated voice. "The last thing I remember is Vegeta kicking the shit out of me and then I woke up here."

Trunks put on a hopeful smile in an attempt to cheer him up. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure my mother left her notes lying around somewhere. I can put something together for you."

Goten smiled and stood up with his new friend. He didn't bother asking why Bulma wouldn't be putting the machine together herself. He had a feeling that he knew why.

* * *

It only took five days for Mirai Trunks to find the notes and have the time machine ready to go. The haul of the machine was still pretty much in one piece; only the working parts needed to be replaced. While Savior City (named in honor of the one who saved the world) was doing well and things around the world were getting back together, the parts where still hard to come by.

Trunks spent most of his time alone or working on a way to get him back home. When he wasn't doing one of those two things, he sparred with Goten or they had long talks about what was going on in his time. Goten had been right about Bulma. She died over two years ago from some unknown virus trying to help other sick people. He could tell that it was still an open wound for Trunks, as he didn't talk about her much. Trunks seemed avidly interested in his time and the adventures that took place after he left.

In the end, Goten almost didn't want to leave him. It seemed wrong that one person should go through so much and come out with even less and he felt bad for having to leave him alone again. But he couldn't stand the thought of one more day without Bra.

Every day seemed like a lifetime had passed by without her. He would lay awake at night and wonder what she was doing and if she was thinking of him. He couldn't wait to see her again, to hold her in his arms and kiss those ruby lips. Every morning he awoke and went downstairs expecting to see her smiling face in the kitchen, only to be greeted by Mirai Trunks' assistants.

That was why when the time machine was ready to go, so was Goten. He climbed into the machine, for once carefully listening to Trunks instructions.

"...And when you return, you'll have three minutes to get out the time machine. After that it'll automatically return to this time." Trunks was saying.

"Why is that?" Goten asked as he made himself comfortable in the cockpit. "Don't we get a time machine to play around with?"

Trunks frowned. "Time isn't something to play with, Goten. Who knows of the repercussions of you being here."

Goten raised his hands in surrender to ward off the lecture he knew was coming. For all their differences, both Trunks were still the same in many ways. "Okay, okay. I get it. No more messing with time. You should come and visit sometime. I'm sure everyone will want to see you." He offered.

Trunks shook his head. "No. I don't think that is a good idea. My mother told me the same thing I told you just a few moments ago. There is no way of telling what time travel is doing to the course of time itself. We built the time machine in desperation. That desperation is gone now. There is no need for it. Your universe has its Trunks and mine has me. It was nice to meet you, Son Goten. I hope you and Bra work things out with your families and have a good life together. It's enough just to know that everyone is all right. Thank you."

Goten could not think of anything to say to that, so he simply waved and started the machine. Jerkily, it lifted off the ground and hung in the air. He double-checked the dials then pushed the button that would send him home. The scenery around him blinked in and out of existence for a few seconds before it disappeared altogether.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Dragonball Z.

Fear Inside – Chapter 3

* * *

Just like someone flicking a light switch, the world came into being. He let the time machine hang in the air for a moment so he could have a look at the city below. He sighed in relief when he saw things were just as he left them. There were no battle scars on the ground or demolished buildings waiting to be torn down. Slowly, he lowered the machine into the Capsule Corp. back yard. Remembering Trunks last words, he quickly set the autopilot and jumped out. He watched as it lifted back into the sky and vanished.

With a sigh, he turned to survey his surroundings. He looked over at the gravity machine and wondered if Vegeta was still mad at him. The prince had never stayed mad at him for long in the past; then again, he'd never been caught kissing his daughter either. Strangely enough, it looked as if the gravity room hadn't been used in a while. Goten shrugged it off, thinking maybe Bulma had disconnected a few wires as punishment for blasting him to another dimension.

He started a brisk walk toward the main building, just like he had the last time he was here. And just like before, his mind was on a certain Saiyan princess. He was just about to open the door and let himself in when the door opened for him. On the other side stood a very shocked looking Trunks.

"Hey, long time no see!" Goten said cheerfully, "you know who I am, don't you?" he added as a private joke to himself.

"Goten?" Trunks asked his voice filled with disbelief. "Is that really you?"

Goten stopped to search his friend's face for signs that he was kidding. "Of course it's me. Who else would I be?"

Trunks grinned, grabbing him into a bone-crushing hug. "I thought it was you. I felt your energy when you arrived, but I still don't believe it. I thought I'd never see you again."

Goten laughed and returned the embrace to his long time friend. There were only certain times that the two shared such an intimate moment like this and that was usually after a close battle when they thought they'd never see each other again. Breaking the embrace, Goten followed Trunks into the house.

"Where have you been all this time? We all thought you were dead." Trunks asked as he led Goten to his favorite room, the kitchen.

Goten laughed again, having not felt this good since before he left. "I've been in Mirai Trunks' time." He answered as he stuck his head in the refrigerator.

"Really? What was that like?" Trunks asked.

"Lonely." Goten replied. "He's a real reclusive kind of guy and didn't talk about much, but he liked to listen to me talk about home. Everything there was kind of depressing. I mean everywhere you looked there was a reminder of the android's destruction. And Bulma wasn't around anymore either. Hey," he said sticking his head out of the door, "where is she anyway?"

"She's doing some overtime at work tonight." Trunks answered, still staring at Goten as if he were a ghost.

"Hn," Goten mumbled around a mouthful of food. He picked his plate up and began walking toward the living room, Trunks trailing behind him. He stopped abruptly halfway there and turned to Trunks. "Vegeta isn't still mad at me, is he?"

Trunks frowned slightly at the question. "No," he said slowly and Goten nodded and continued on his way. "After the first year or so, we believed you were dead. It's hard to hold a grudge against a dead guy, ever for my father."

Goten stopped in the living room and turned to face his friend once again, a bewildered look on his face. "A year?" he said incredulously, "I've barely been gone a week. I didn't think you missed me that much, buddy." He gave a small laugh and shoved a chicken leg in his mouth, munching thoughtfully.

Trunks' frown turned to a complete look of confusion. "Goten, I haven't seen you in five years!"

Goten choked at the words, dropping his plateful of food on the carpet. He stood there for a moment, searching his friend's face for any signs that he was joking. His friend could be a good prankster when he so felt like it, but Goten knew him well enough to know when he was messing around. The frightening part was that Trunks wasn't joking. His face was completely serious.

"You're kidding right?" He asked.

"No," Trunks said with a shake of his head. "I wish I were. You've been gone exactly five years and three months, to the day. What happened that day, Goten? No one will talk about it. I don't understand what happened to you."

Goten shook his head. "This is impossible. I've only been in the other dimension for five days, not five years!" Turning, he marched to the small desk in the corner of the room, snatched up the calendar and checked the date. It proved Trunks correct. With a snarl, he threw it down and ran back into the kitchen. Trunks stayed where he was, waiting for his return. A few minutes later, Goten came back, the color drained from his face. "This is impossible." He repeated, sinking to the floor and burying his head in his hands.

"Goten what happened?" Trunks pressed again. His only response was a shake of Goten's head.

Suddenly, his head snapped up and he looked at Trunks with wide desperate eyes. "Bra. Where is Bra? I have to talk to her. Is she here?"

Trunks looked away and ran a hand through his lavender locks. "She doesn't live here anymore." He said so softly that Goten almost didn't catch it.

"What do you mean by that? Did she finally get her own place or something?" Goten asked hopefully although he knew by the look on his face and the way he was avoiding eye contact that it was something much more. He followed the line of Trunks vision to rest on a picture frame on the mantel. A small gasp escaped his lips as he took in the sight.

Trunks swore softly when he saw Goten walk past him, heading to the mantel. "Goten . . . " he called out, but the latter didn't seem to hear him.

He felt as if he was walking a daze, his feet moving on their own accord. All he could see was the smiling vision of beauty bathed in a beautiful white gown standing next to an equally happy, dark-skinned man. The two were dressed in a fashion that left no curiosity about the celebration going on around them. It was his Bra and Uubu, smiling at their own wedding.

"What is this?" he whispered, gently taking the photo from its place as if it would bite him should he touch it wrong.

Trunks didn't know what to say, so he simply walked up behind him and laid a hand on his friend's shoulder. A minute or so of silence passed before Trunks took the picture from Goten's shaky hand. He knew how he felt about his sister. Everyone knew after the accident. All he could picture was his sister in tears for weeks when Goten didn't return. It broke his heart even then to think about it.

Gently, he led Goten to the couch and sat him down. He looked like a man in shock after some traumatic event and he hadn't muttered so much as a syllable since his last choked sentence. Trunks knew he had to explain it as best he could, but he also knew that no words would heal the break in his friend's heart.

"I don't understand." Goten said at last, "I just saw her a couple days ago. How could this have happened?"

"Goten," Trunks began, trying to figure out the best way to tell the story, "it's really been five years for us. We tried everything we could think of to find you. Bra . . . " he broke off at the look on Goten's face when he mentioned his sister. "Bra was devastated to say the least. Whatever it was my dad zapped you with was untested. She had no idea you'd disappear like that. You simply vanished; we thought the blast obliterated you. It took out half of the house. She was so mad at dad for it. It was then that she told us about your relationship. I really had no idea you were involved with her. Anyway, she threatened to never speak to dad again unless he found a way to wish you back. After a couple of months, they left for Namek, but the dragon said he couldn't reach you."

Goten gave Trunks a look that stopped him from going any further. "And Uubu? When does he come into the picture? Did they even wait for my 'body' to get cold?" He said sarcastically.

Trunks grimaced. "It wasn't like that. When word got out that you were gone, he came to help look for you. After Bra returned from Namek, he was there for her. He was the only person that could cheer her up. She was devastated, Goten. Uubu was a friend. After a while, when you didn't return and we were out of options, I guess they fell in love."

Goten scowled. "If this is suppose to make me feel better, you're doing a lousy job. Bra was my girl. I loved her. I was going to marry her and the second I leave he steals my territory. I thought he was my friend. How could they do this to me?" he cried.

"They didn't get married the day after you left. It took years for Bra to get over you . . . "

"And Uubu was right there to help her pick up the pieces. I haven't been gone for years. I've only been gone for a few days. This is insane!"

"I think you're blowing this whole thing out of proportion . . . " Trunks began.

"Blowing this whole thing out of proportion!" Goten exploded, rising to his feet. "Five days ago I was two seconds from proposing to her and then your father fucks that up for me. When I get back, I find out that my girl couldn't even wait for me to get back, but jumps into the arms of the first available guy. And my best friend is defending him! Tell me how I'm blowing this out of proportion!"

"No one even knew you two were together until after the accident. I was just so damn happy to see Bra smile again that I didn't want to make her wait around. We didn't know where you were or if you'd ever return. Uubu makes her happy, Goten. You weren't there for her. He was. I'm sorry that shit got all fucked up, but you can't take this out on me or anyone else. It's not anyone's fault. What else was she supposed to do? Pine and die waiting for you? I wouldn't have let her do that. It's not fair and if you really love her then you should be happy for her!"

"Happy for her? What about my happiness? What about all that I had planned? In less than a week, my world has been turned upside down. The only thing I could think about the entire time I was gone was getting back to her. I would've waited. I wouldn't have been able to look at another girl after her. All the trouble I went through just to get back to her and I find that it wasn't even worth it!" Goten shouted.

Fuming, he stormed away from Trunks, needing a few minutes to compose himself. Nothing made sense anymore. How could Bra possibly be with another man? It was unfathomable to his jumbled mind. He knew, somewhere in the recesses of rational thought that Trunks was right and he had no reason to be mad at him. Trunks had no reason to lie or be cruel. It was true that time had somehow flowed faster in this dimension. For every day he spent there, it was a year here and Bra couldn't wait forever. No, he amended. She didn't want to wait forever. This was all Vegeta's fault. If he hadn't shown up and ruined everything, things would still be all right. He'd still have Bra, hell, she'd be his wife by now and not Uubu's. If Vegeta hadn't wanted so bad get rid of him that he'd blast him to another dimension. And Mirai Trunks. He must've messed up the time machine somehow. It was the only explanation for this. If only he hadn't programmed the machine to go back, he could still use it and go back to the correct time. If only . . .

Goten fisted his hands in his hair in an attempt to ward off all the destructive thoughts. It was driving him mad, thinking of the 'what ifs'. He still needed to know one thing, though, something that might actually help him. If only he knew how long Bra had really waited for him, but he was afraid of the answer. With a sigh, he turned back to his friend.

"How long did she wait for me?" He asked softly.

Trunks sighed and ran a hand through his silky, lavender hair. "Two years before she started dating him seriously. Then another year or so before the wedding." He answered simply.

Goten sighed. "I guess she couldn't wait forever," a long pause, then. "So what else is new?" He didn't really care, but he couldn't talk about her anymore. It was driving him insane to think that just days ago he held her in his arms and now it would never happen again.

Just as Trunks opened his mouth to answer, the front door slammed open and then shut again with a thunderous bang that rattled the windows.

"Trunks!" a loud, angry female voice yelled. "You're lucky I found another one just like this one. I had to go to three different stores to find it and you don't even want to know how much I spent! If my grandmother notices any differences then you'll be the one to explain it to her."

The voice and its owner stormed into the living room, stopping in the doorway. Goten looked at the young woman standing there and smiled. "Pan!" he said happily.

Pan looked at him blankly for a few seconds before screaming and dropping her precious cargo. It hit the ground and shattered into tiny pieces. She didn't pay it any mind and just stared at the houseguest. "Goten, " she said slowly, unsure.

Goten walked over to her and bent down to retrieve the fallen glass frame. He recognized it immediately. "Hey, isn't this mom's antique wedding frame?" he asked as he turned it over to look at the picture. Inside was a wedding picture, but it wasn't the same one he remembered growing up. Instead of a smiling Chi-Chi and confused Goku, there was a picture of a smiling Pan and blushing Trunks. "What the hell!" he exclaimed looking over at Trunks. "You married my niece?"

Trunks blushed and shrugged his shoulders, looking away. Meanwhile, Pan had finally regained some composure and grabbed Goten by the shoulders. "It's really you! I can't believe it!" she said as she wrapped him in a tight hug. "I thought I'd never see you again! Where have you been? How long have you been back? Oh, I've missed you so much!" she said all at once.

Goten laughed and hugged her back. "Sorry, I only meant to take a short vacation, but I guess it lasted longer than I thought." He pulled away to get a better look at her. In five years, she'd grown so much. She wasn't so much the little tomboy he remembered. She looked more like a woman. "You've changed so much, Pan," he whispered.

Pan nodded her head while wiping away tears. "I thought you were gone for good, Uncle Goten. What happened?"

Goten sighed, he didn't really want to get into all that again. It was still all too new and painful for him. He decided to change the subject instead. "I see you finally got your dream guy," he said in a teasing manner. He remembered how much Pan had been in love with Trunks. At the time, it seemed impossible for the two to get together, but somehow, like so many others, things had changed.

Pan blushed and looked at her husband. "Yeah, he finally saw the light," she teased. "After you disappeared, we sorta found each other in our grief. He was the only person that made your absence bearable," she said as tears filled her eyes anew.

Not wanting her to see the pain and anger in his eyes, Goten turned away. He looked over at the beautiful wedding picture on the mantel, once again thinking that should be him beside her. "Seems like my 'death' brought many happy couples together," he said bitterly.

Pan bit her lip knowing she had struck a cord. She cursed her stupidity at the callous blunder. A long silence ensued before she finally broke it. "How about you stay for dinner!" she exclaimed. "I'll make your favorite and we can catch up." She said hopefully.

Trunks nodded his head. "Yeah man, Pan isn't as bad a cook as you remember. She actually took some lessons from your mom. Thank God."

Pan walked over and gave him a playful punch in the arm. "I was a good cook before. I just liked watching you choke it down. It was payback for all the mean things you always said to me."

"Whatever," Trunks said with a laugh.

Goten smiled lightly, but shook his head. "No. Not tonight. I think I should go home and see my mom. I'm sure she misses me, seeing how I've been gone for so long." He said with a tinge of sadness to his voice. "I'll stop by soon."

"Are you sure?" Pan asked.

He nodded silently and headed for the door. Not looking back, he took off into the sky and headed to Mount Poazu.

Pan made sure he was gone before turning to her husband. "I guess he knows, huh?" she said sadly.

Trunks nodded. "I told him. He didn't take it very well."

"I better call Bra." Pan said as she headed to the phone.

"No. Bra doesn't need to know right now. Give Goten a few days to get used to everything. Pan, he thinks he's only been gone for five days."

Pan gasped. "How is that possible?"

Trunks shrugged his shoulders. "He said he was in another dimension, Mirai Trunks' time line. He told me that only five days have passed since the accident. I don't know what happened while he was there. The other Trunks must've messed up the time when he sent him back. Pan, he was devastated. Bra was his life and I didn't even know it."

Pan shook her head slowly. "I remember how hard it was for Bra when he left, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have the right to know he is back!"

"What good will it do to tell her now?" Trunks asked. "Bra has enough to worry about. It doesn't change anything now that he is back. He'll just have to learn to deal with it and so will she."

"How can you be so callous?" Pan asked angrily. "Bra loved him, Trunks! You don't know what his being here will change!"

"Bra is a married woman now. Happily, I might add. She won't leave Uubu for Goten; so don't go putting ideas in her head. She'll find out soon enough. Just give him a few days. That's all I ask. He's going through so much right now, trying to deal with all of this. The last thing he needs is to see Bra."

"Fine." She said, relenting.

Trunks grinned and kissed her on the top of her head. "That's my girl. Are you still going to make dinner?"

Pan rolled her eyes. "Yeah, after I clean up this mess." She said pointing to the glass still on the floor.

"Great! I'm going to go get cleaned up." Trunks said as he walked out of the room.

Pan waited until he was up the stairs and out of earshot before she added: "and as soon as I get off the phone with Bra."

Hearing the water turn on up stairs, she picked up the phone and quickly called Bra's house. Someone picked up after three rings. "Hello?" a deep male voice inquired.

"Uubu," Pan said sweetly, "this is Pan. I need to talk to Bra, please."

"Okay." Uubu said.

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment then sounds of a muffled conversation could be heard. Finally, Bra picked up. "Pan? What is it?" she asked.

"Bra, are you alone?"

"Well, no. Uubu-kun is here . . . "

"Get rid of him." Pan said, cutting her off.

"What? Why?" Bra asked, confused.

"I'll tell you as soon as you're alone." Pan replied.

"Ok, fine. Uubu!" Bra yelled, not even bothering to set the phone down. Pan waited patiently as she listened to the conversation on the other end of the line.

"What?" She heard Uubu ask.

"Will you go and get me some watermelon?" Bra's sweet voice inquired.

"Watermelon isn't in season this time of the year." Uubu answered.

"It is in Mexico." Bra replied.

There was a slight choking sound then silence for a few moments before Uubu responded. "You can't be serious."

The other end went quiet again and although Pan couldn't see them, she could imagine the look Bra was giving her husband. She used the same look on everyone when she wanted something. It was most potent with men, but Pan had fallen for it a few times. She knew there was no way Uubu would refuse her. After a long intermission, Uubu groaned, giving in.

"All right. It's a good thing this planet isn't very big. I'll be back in a couple of hours." Pan heard him mutter.

There was the sound of a door slamming then Bra giggled. "He is such a sweetie," she said between her laughter. "Now what's so important that I had to send my Uubu-kun to Mexico?"

Pan laughed, "I never said you had to send him to Mexico, Bra." She glanced at the stairway knowing Trunks would be done with his shower soon. "This is important and I don't have much time. I hope you're sitting down."

"Okay." Bra said, sobering up. "Tell me."

"Bra, Goten is back." Pan replied in a serious tone.

There was silence and then Bra gave a short, clipped laugh. "That's not funny, Pan. What is it really?"

"I am being serious!" Pan cried. "He was just here. I saw him, hugged him, and talked to him. It was really him! He just left to go home."

"Goten is dead, Pan. He isn't coming back. I tried to wish him back myself. The dragon couldn't reach him. Therefore, he is dead." Bra said, getting angry.

"I know, but he is here. He was looking for you . . . "

"I don't have time for this." Bra cut her off. "Goten has been gone for five years. People don't just come back from the dead after all that time."

"My grandfather did once. Besides, he wasn't dead. He was somewhere else." Pan retorted.

"Well then, I'm glad he's back, but what do you want from me? He was the one who decided to take an extended vacation and not tell anybody. I don't care if he is looking for me. If he wants me, he should have shown up all those years ago when I was looking for him. What does he expect? For me to just drop everything now that he is back? I don't think so." She sniffed. "I wait for no one."

"Bra, you don't understand . . . "

"No, I understand just fine. Thank you, Pan, but I need to go now." With that, she hung up the phone.

Pan stared at the phone in disbelief. She hadn't meant to upset her, but she could have at least heard her out. She set the phone down, chewing on her lip in thought. Maybe Trunks was right when he said Bra didn't need to know right away. She certainly hadn't taken the news well. With a shake of her head, she got up and went into the kitchen to prepare the evening's meal.


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Dragonball Z.

Fear Inside – Chapter 4

* * *

Goten landed in front of his childhood home and sighed. It looked just the same as it had before he left. He still couldn't believe five whole years had gone by in his absence. He wondered how his mother was doing. Trunks and Pan hadn't said anything about her, but he got the impression she was doing okay. He couldn't wait to see her. She was always the one woman in his corner, no matter what.

Off to his right he could make out Gohan and Videl's little house in the fading light. He missed his brother too. Tomorrow he'd have to stop by and catch up with them, but for now, he just wanted his mommy.

The door to the cottage creaked as he pushed it open. Stepping inside, he quickly took off his shoes. It was a habit, ingrained in him at a young age not to track mud through the house. Looking around, he saw that the inside hadn't changed much either. All the knickknacks and family pictures where still up and in the same places as he remembered them. He smiled, comforted by the familiar surroundings.

"Gohan, is that you?" A familiar voice called out from somewhere in the house.

Goten grinned. "No, mom. It's me, Goten!"

Chi-Chi rounded a corner and stopped in her tracks. A hand flew to her mouth as she gasped. "Goten!" she cried before flinging herself at him.

Goten caught her easily and returned the embrace. "Did you miss me?" he asked softly.

Chi-Chi stepped back and looked her youngest son over. "I cannot believe you're finally home." She said as she wiped tears from her eyes. "Where have you been, young man?" she asked sternly, although there was no anger behind the words.

Goten put a hand behind his head and forced a laugh. "You know me, mom." He replied vaguely.

Chi-Chi grinned. "Yes I do. You're just like your father was." She shook her head. "Now, are you hungry? I could whip you up something and then you can tell me just where you've been all this time."

Goten dropped his cheerful facade. To tell her where he'd been was to think about Bra and didn't want to do that. Not in front of his mother. "I'm not hungry. I'm actually kind of tired. I think I'll just go to bed now. We can talk in the morning." He bent down and gave his mother a small kiss on her forehead before turning to go upstairs.

Chi-Chi read the sadness in his eyes and it broke her heart. "Goten," she called out before he reached the top of the stairs. He turned around to hear what she had to say. "I tried to tell her. I tried to tell her that you were just like your father and you'd be back if only she'd wait."

Goten sighed, "Thanks, mom," was his only reply before he disappeared into his room.

Once in his room, he let all pretenses drop. As far as he was concerned, his life was in shambles. There were five years that he was unaccounted for. The girl of his dreams was gone from him forever. It was the most painful blow he'd been dealt in a long time. Staggering over to his bed, he dropped down face first. Exhaustion gripped his body and he felt as if he'd been in an awesome battle. He didn't want to deal with anything right now.

He slid his hands underneath the pillow and felt the photo he'd always kept there still in its place. With a groan, he pulled it out and rolled over onto his back. It was a picture of him and Bra together. They were on a secluded beach, just the two of them. They'd set the camera on a tripod to take their picture. There were more pictures of that day, but those were too risqué to leave lying about. He smiled sadly as he looked at it. That day had been so perfect and they had been so happy together.

Another forlorn sigh escaped his lips as he set the picture aside. Digging into his pocket, he pulled out the engagement ring he had planned on giving her. Five days had turned to five years and looking at the round piece of metal it all seemed to catch up with him.

The ring was so small that it barely fit half way on his pinkie finger. It was made entirely out of platinum with an intricate pattern all along the sides, on the top was a large beautiful heart-shaped diamond and the inside was carved with words of love. It had taken him forever to make it.

He hadn't made it completely by himself, of course. He'd chanced upon the platinum by accident one day sparring with Pan. At the time, he hadn't known what it was, so he took it to a friend who was a geologist. After finding out it was a precious metal, he set in motion making it into a ring beautiful enough to be worn by the Saiyan princess. The diamond was easy enough to come by, if one knew where to look. He chose the biggest rock he could find and with the help of a jeweler was able to turn it into the perfect heart. All the designs and carving he did with his own hand. It took nearly two months to make, but it was a labor of love.

Sighing heavily, he set the ring on his bedside table and moved his arms behind his head. Staring up at the ceiling, he contemplated all that had happened in the last week. He wondered how Bra was doing and if she truly was happy like Trunks said. He wasn't angry with her. She had waited for him for as long as she could. He was upset with Uubu. The bastard had come in and took her right out from underneath him the minute he'd disappeared. Somewhere deep inside told him he should be happy that a friend was there to take care of her in his absence. But a more powerful part, one ruled by more territorial and possessive traits, said that because he was his friend, he should have stayed away. Instinct told him to challenge the other man for her, but he knew better. Bra would not go for it, they lived in modern times, and things were not dealt like that anymore. Oh, but if they were . . . Goten grinned wickedly at the images that thought invoked. He could see himself pounding the life out of the younger man and in the end Bra falling into his arms. They'd fly off into the sunset and live happily ever after.

Of course, things like that only happened in fairy tales and he was far from living in one of those. He was living in what he would consider a nightmare. He thought about Mirai Trunks and the world he grew up in. That was definitely more of a nightmare than anything he could imagine. He wondered how the other man was doing and wished there was some way to speak with him. If only he could get another time machine, he could go back to the correct time and save his relationship.

With a shake of his head, he rolled onto his side and stared out the window. It was dark now and the stars shown clearly in the night sky. It was almost a beautiful scene, but without her, everything lacked luster. He wondered what she was doing right then, if she was thinking of him, if she missed him. He doubted it. Uubu was probably too busy screwing her brains out for her to think of much anything else. He growled savagely at the images that came with the thought. There was no one in the world having better sex than the sex Uubu and Bra were having in his mind. He flipped onto his stomach and buried his head into the pillow in an attempt to suffocate his brain so the mental pictures would go away. In the end, he only succeeded in making himself pass out and even then, his dreams would offer him no solitude.

* * *

Bra sat in her kitchen nibbling on a cracker and staring blankly at a newspaper. Her conversation with Pan kept running through her head and against her own will she felt her heart beat faster. For her own sake, she couldn't believe it was true. It wasn't possible that Goten could show up again after all this time. She'd given up on ever seeing him again years ago, but her heart hadn't. Deep inside, locked away from conscious thought, he lived.

She had been so deeply in love with him that it defied all logic. When he left, her heart had been broken beyond repair. For so long, she had longed for his touch, to hear his sweet voice and now he was back and the knowledge was more than she could bare. It was unfair that he would return after all this time. She'd moved on with her life and now had Uubu to consider. Uubu had been there for her and helped mend the hole in her soul left by Goten. She had thought she'd never be able to love again and now . . .

Well, now she didn't know what to think.

Where the hell has he been all this time? She wondered. What could have been so important that he'd just take off and not come back? Was he that afraid of her father? It didn't make any sense. That day so long ago, she had been sure he was going to propose to her. What had happened to make him change his mind?

She had no answers to these questions and it made her furious. Never before has she been this mad at one person, except maybe her father. When he blasted Goten with her experimental gun and he disappeared, she vowed never to speak to him again. Upon returning from Namek, she packed her bags and got an apartment in the city, away from Capsule Corporation. And even though it killed her, she said no more than a handful of sentences to her father for nearly two years.

After she accepted Uubu's proposal, she returned home to her father. Even after everything, she couldn't marry a man without his approval and she wouldn't walk down the aisle without him by her side. It was a painful reunion for both of them, to have to swallow their pride, forgive, and forget. He readily gave his approval, saying that he only wanted her to be happy and she was, but there was still a part of her that she felt was missing. Unfinished business, she supposed and she would never be entirely happy until she had some sort of closure.

Now he was back and she could get the closure she needed. The unanswered question could finally find their peace and so could she. For no matter how happy she was, in the darkest hours of the night she wondered what happened that fateful day five years ago.

Bra heard the front door open and a set of heavy feet come her way. Uubu was finally home. She couldn't tell him what she knew. Not until after she was able to talk to Goten herself. There was no point in getting into that discussion tonight. It made her feel scandalous to keep things from him when she knew he was always open with her, but he would not take the news well, especially if she told him that she planned on going and seeing him for herself. Uubu was a wonderfully understanding man, but the fact remained that he was still a man and she knew that he would feel threatened by Goten's presence in her life once again. As soon as she saw him and was able to put to rest things between them, she would come home and show her husband that he was the only one for her.

Bra stood to leave as Uubu entered the kitchen and set the bag on the table. "I'm back." He said wearily.

She walked to him and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, honey, but I'm tired and am going to go to bed."

"What?" Uubu exclaimed, "After I flew all that way, you're not even going to eat any?"

"I'm sorry, Bu, but I'm tired now." She replied as she began walking from the room.

"So what did Pan want?" he asked as he followed behind her.

"Huh?" Bra stopped and turned to him, "oh, nothing much."

"Really? So you sent me to get watermelon in Mexico for 'nothing much'?"

Bra frowned. "It was just girl talk, really." She said trying to avoid the subject. She didn't want to get into it with him right then. Her mind was too confused for the conversation.

Uubu let the subject drop, but he knew there was more to it than that. The circumstances were too suspicious for it to be something so simple. He knew that if it was important Bra would tell him, but he got the feeling she was keeping something from him. He decided not to badger her about it tonight, but he vowed to find out exactly what was going on in the morning.


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own Dragonball Z.

Fear Inside – Chapter 5

* * *

Bra awoke early the next morning and quietly slipped out of bed, making sure not to disturb her sleeping husband. She had decided last night that she would go and see Goten this morning and get it finished. There was no point in waiting on the inevitable. The sooner she got it out of the way, the better.

She showered and dressed herself quickly, making sure to pack a bag for the day. It was a two-hour drive to Goten's house from her own and she had to be back in town by ten for a doctor's appointment. If she could fly, it would take less than half that time to get there, but she hadn't flown in years. It just wasn't her style. She remembered Goten wasn't an early morning person, but he would just have to deal with it for today. After this, there would be no reason for them to see each other at all.

Just as she was stepping out the door, a voice froze her in her tracks. "Where are you going so early this morning?" Uubu asked, his powerful voice booming throughout the silent house.

Bra could already read the suspicion there behind his words. He knew she was up to something and it made her stomach flip flop at the prospect of being caught. To be fair, she wasn't technically doing anything wrong, but knowing that didn't make lying any easier.

Composing herself before she turned around, she looked him straight in the eye. "I thought I told you I was meeting Pan for breakfast and shopping before my appointment today."

"I thought Pan had a class this morning." Uubu said, his eyes narrowing to slit as he saw right through the obvious lie. "Are you hiding something from me?" He asked, getting right to the point.

Bra feigned a hurt look. "What could I possibly have to hide from you, Uubu-kun? Honestly, I'm hurt that you would think so. Pan's class isn't until nine-thirty. It's only six now. That is plenty of time to do what we have planned."

The pouty, hurt-filled look on her face made him soften slightly. He sighed, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "I'm sorry. It's just that something has felt off since last night. Are you sure everything is okay?"

Bra bit her lip, she hated lying to him like this, but she couldn't afford him wanting to come with her. "Everything is fine. I promise. Everything is alright."

Kissing the top of her head, he released her. "Okay then, if you say so. Try to stay out of trouble today."

Bra smiled brightly and bounded out the door, waving over her shoulder. "I will!" She called out as she threw a capsule to the ground. A shiny red air car popped up in its place and she jumped in and took off without a backwards glance.

Still standing in the doorway, Uubu sighed sadly. Bra had just blatantly lied to him. He knew because Pan didn't have a class today. No, today was the day that they met to spar. Once a week, every week since Goku's disappearance they met and sparred together like they did when they were children. Bra was not the type of person to lie like that, but when she did, she was usually better at it. A tight knot of dread formed in the pit of his stomach as he thought of the possibilities of whatever it was she was sneaking off to do behind his back. Whatever it was that would cause her to forget something so simple and force her to lie to him. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to know, but he didn't plan to wait around to find out.

* * *

Goten woke to the morning sunlight streaming through his bedroom window. He yawned loudly and stretched leisurely on his warm, comfy bed, not wanting to get up just yet. Opening one eye, he looked at his bedside clock. The digital numbers read 7:32. He groaned, thinking it was far too early to be up, especially when you had nothing to look forward to all day. Usually if he woke up this early, he would go and spend time with Bra, but he couldn't do that anymore.

He rolled onto his side with his back facing the window. He didn't want to move from his bed all day. He simply wanted to stay there, feel sorry for himself, and wallow in his own self-pity. His mind, though, was abuzz with a million different thoughts and his body was no longer tired. It demanded that he get up to eat and after twenty minutes of trying to force himself back into dreamland, he gave up. Dragging himself from bed, he threw on a workout gi and headed downstairs.

He found his mother in the kitchen, humming happily to herself with four different pots of food on the stove. "Goten honey, you're up early this morning!" She said exuberantly as she untied her apron, folded it neatly and laid it on the counter.

"I couldn't sleep." Goten replied groggily, rubbing his eyes. He inhaled deeply the sweet smell of the cooking food and his stomach growled loudly. It seemed like years since he'd last had one of his mother's home cooked meals. "What's for breakfast?" He inquired while stirring one of the pots on the stove.

"Your favorite. I made it just for you." Chi-Chi answered as she grabbed her purse and headed to the door. "It's already done, so go ahead and eat. I have to go to the market to get more groceries, but I'll be home in time for lunch."

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Goten asked.

"No dear, you've had a rough enough time as it is. I'll be just fine on my own. I'll be back before you know it." With that, his mother left.

Goten shrugged in his nonchalant way and began helping himself to a generous portion of food. Kicking out a chair, he sat down at the table and began stuffing his face. Idly he wondered if Gohan would be joining him this morning and if he could talk him into a spar. He had a lot of aggression he needed to take out and a good spar would be fun. He also wanted to talk to him about Bra. His brother was smart and level headed and he believed he could help him put things into perspective.

Although he couldn't remember dreaming about anything, he knew they had something to do with Bra. She was all he could think about and it was driving him crazy. Somewhere between dreamland and consciousness, he made up his mind to seek her out. He still had something to ask her and he would not be able to go on unless he knew the answer. And who knew, maybe her answer would still be yes. Maybe her heart and soul still belonged to him and they could have the happy ending he dreamed of. He was not opposed to stealing her away from Uubu even if they were married. As he saw it, Uubu had stolen his wife away from him first.

About half way through his third helping, he heard the hum of an air car pull up in front of the house. He knew it couldn't be his mother back already, so he got up to investigate. What he saw when he got to the door nearly made him choke on his food. There was the very object of his desire seated tensely in the driver's seat of the air car. He hadn't had to look very far for her, she had come to him.

Setting the bowl down on the table, he ran a shaky hand through his wild hair in a poor attempt at trying to get it to lie down. He walked out the door, their eyes locking instantly and immediately his heart was in his throat. It was so good to finally see her again, but he knew that it has been a lot longer for her than it has been for him. He wondered what she was thinking about, sitting there in her car, she had come to see him so it must mean something good. He watched her intently as she slowly undid the safety belt all the while cursing himself for leaving the ring in his room. He would have to do without it, he decided. Besides, if everything went as planned they'd be in his room soon, making up for lost time.

Bra was frozen to her seat in the car for what seemed like an eternity. She was completely unprepared for actually seeing him again. Her heart pounded in her chest and blood rushed to her face. He looked as good as the day she last saw him, if not better. She took a few minutes to compose herself, which was so hard with the way he was staring at her. She took the time to remember all that she had come to say, letting her anger be her guide. She could not forget why she was here, no matter what. With that in mind, she got out of the car.

Bra planned on giving him a piece of her mind as she stalked toward him with a look of hardening determination on her pretty face, but underneath the surface, she was crumbling. It was so hard to look at his face again. She had forgotten just how much she missed him. As she got closer to him she raised a hand to strike him, but there was no power behind the hit and he caught her easily. All her strength left her body at the contact and she broke down sobbing, burying her face in his broad chest.

Goten wrapped his arms around her trembling shoulders and squeezed her closer to him. He had yearned for this since the moment he'd first left her arms. He could stay this way forever if it were up to him. Slowly, he felt her return the embrace and she held him tightly, tears springing to her eyes anew. They stayed that way holding each other, neither saying a word; the only sound was of Bra crying softly.

Finally pulling herself together, she pulled away from him. She hadn't meant to break down like that. His touch had brought back so many memories of nights spent together and the loneliness that his sudden departure brought. It was all too much for her. Suddenly she felt as if she'd made a mistake in coming here.

Her tumultuous feelings showed plainly in her blue eyes and he felt sorry for all that she had to endure because of him. He would spend the rest of his life making it up to her if she would give him the chance. There was so much he wanted to say that he couldn't say anything at all, but he knew he had to try.

"Bra," he said softly, brushing away stray tears as they fell from her eye.

Bra turned her head away from his gentle touch and took a hesitant step back. It was too easy to get caught up in the emotions he invoked. This wasn't what she had come for. She couldn't allow it.

"Bra," Goten said again reaching for her. "Please . . . "

"No," she said raising her hands in front of her. "No. I only came here to find out why you left me. Why you never came back. I looked for you for so long! How could you?"

"I never left you, not by my own will. I've only been gone for five days, Bra!"

"I don't want to hear lies, Goten! I know how long you've been. I know! Because every day cut worse than the day before." She cried, tears filling her eyes again.

"You don't understand . . . "

"Oh, I understand just fine. I don't know what happened to make you want to leave me. I thought we were happy together. I thought . . . oh, who gives a damn what I thought!" she said giving him her back.

Goten stared at her trembling shoulders as she cried. He didn't know what to do. She was so mad at him because she thought he had left her. He had to make her listen, make her understand what had happen to him. That he hadn't left her and that he loved her still as much as that day so long ago. It tore him apart inside to see her this way, to think that he caused this pain. There still had to be hope for them. He reached out to her, laying a hand on her shoulder. She jerked away from again, but he would not let her go. None to gently, he turned her around to face him, grabbing her arms and holding her in place.

"Listen to me, Bra. I never left you. I didn't! I don't know how you could think that I would. That day in the lab, when your father blasted me with that stupid machine, it transported me to another dimension. I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. I stayed in a destroyed world where you had never been born and I missed you like crazy. Five days passed before I could finally come home. That world's Trunks built me a time machine. He must've messed up the time because I came home to this. To nothing!"

"I don't believe you." She said in a shaky voice.

"Look at me. Look into my eyes. I'm not lying to you. Five days ago, I held you in my arms and I was the happiest man in the universe. Do you think I would give that up? I love you, Bra. Nothing has changed for me. Nothing."

Bra gasped at the revelation, but remained silent. She stared into his obsidian eyes for what seemed like forever, searching for some sign that he was lying. She saw nothing but the love he spoke of and her heart broke. "It can't be possible, " she whispered.

"I know I never told you before and I regret that. Maybe if I had, you wouldn't have left me, but you have to understand that nothing has changed for me. You are still my girl and I still want to be with you. Please tell me you feel the same."

Her entire body trembled under the weight of his question and the intensity in his eyes. She wanted for all the world to tell him yes that she felt the same that she always had, but she couldn't. "I'm married, Goten," she said in a small, unsure voice.

"I know and I don't care. You belong to me. You have since the day you were born. It isn't right for you to be with him. Tell me you love me and we can start our life together again." Goten said boldly. "I want to marry you, Bra. I was going to propose to you that day. We were meant to be together, don't you see that?"

Bra stood stock still as she contemplated his words, his offer. It was true that she had always loved him. Her time with himhad always been good, but she realized, her heart now belonged to another. She would probably always love Goten, but she had grown to love Uubu too. He fulfilled her and kept her feeling safe and secure. They have built a home together and were starting a family. She was happy with him andcouldn't just let that go.

"I can't," she said at last, looking away from him.

"What?" Goten asked in disbelief. He had thought for sure that she would say yes.

Bra shook her head sadly and pulled her arms from his grasp. "There may still be a part of me that still loves you, that remembers what it's like to be in your arms, but that was long ago. I am with Uubu now. He is my husband and I love him. My heart belongs to him."

"No, Bra. Please don't say that. Just give me one more chance . . . "

"No," Bra said firmly, taking a few steps back. "I'm happy with the life I have now. Uubu and I are starting a family. I'm pregnant, Goten. I couldn't be with you even I wanted to." She flinched at the open look of despair that crossed her once lover's face at the news. She didn't think that this conversation would be so hard for her, but this is what she had come to tell him. "I'm sorry, Goten, but that was another time in my life. I... I've moved on. I don't want to hurt you. I hope you understand."

Goten could say nothing. He simply stared at her in disbelief. Bra watched him for a moment, waiting to see if he had anything left to say. There was nothing left to say, the pain radiating off him spoke volumes. It hurt her too, to have to so brutally and bluntly break his heart. She could only imagine what he was going through. They had been so happy together and for him it was still fresh in his mind. But five years have passed for her and with time, the feelings fade. There were only memories of how she felt for him now.

The silence was becoming unbearable and she felt the overwhelming need to leave. There was nothing left to say and nothing she could do to ease his pain. "I have to go," she said softly. "I guess I'll see you around sometime."

Goten still had nothing to say as he watched her get back into the aircar. He had nothing anymore. Not even hope. He watched her drive away until the car was only a tiny dot on the horizon. He turned back to the quiet house and look up to the roof where he thought he felt a presence. "You can come out now," he said harshly.

There was movement from above then Uubu stood and jumped down, landing on the ground gracefully. Both men stared at each other with open contempt, neither giving an inch for the other. "Hello, little brother," Goten said with heated sarcasm. Goten had always thought of Uubu as his little brother because his father had spent so much time training him that over the years he became like family. "Do you always follow her around like that?"

Uubu's dark brown eyes narrowed to slits. "Only when I know something is bothering her. I should've known that something was you. Haven't you caused her enough pain?"

"I never meant to hurt, Bra." Goten ground out. He wanted desperately to beat the other man into the ground, but he held his fist. Violence would not bring her back to him. If anything, it would only make her angrier.

Uubu frowned menacingly. He wanted to beat the hell out of Goten for his audacity. He couldn't believe the things he had heard coming from his mouth. That he truly thought to steal his woman away from him and break up his happy home was enough to make the usually calm and peaceful man snap. He didn't do so out of respect for Bra, but only this one time. If he ever caught him near his wife again, he wouldn't hold back anything and he planned to make that perfectly clear.

"I'm only going to tell you this once, Son Goten. Stay away from my wife. You heard her yourself. She doesn't want anything to do with you anymore. If I see you bothering her or if I even think that any amount of stress on her is your doing, I will seriously harm you." Uubu said, his voice deadly calm and serious.

Goten could feel his blood pumping madly through his veins, the sound of his heart thundering in his ears, threatening to drown out what was left of his fragile sanity as he took in the open threat his now enemy laid before him. He bared his fangs, growling deep in his throat as he took a step forward. His Saiyan blood roared and every fiber of his being told him to defend his honor and pride in the only way his father's people knew how.

"Is that so?" Goten said fiercely, automatically lowering himself into a fighting stance. "Do you really think you can beat me?" He grinned madly, the call of battle almost overwhelming him now. The only thing that made sense to him and he welcomed it with open arms. "Then bring it on."

To his surprise and annoyance, Uubu only laughed, raising a finger before him and shaking it as if scolding a small child. "Ah, ah," he said rising slowly into the air as he mocked him. "I have a woman at home that will need comforting like only I can give her." His grin broadened at the look of outrage that crossed the other man's face. Laughing, Uubu took off at lightening speed.

Goten watched his energy trail fade into the distance as he debated on whether or not to follow him. He decided against it, knowing Uubu had the advantage with him being so angry right now. His hands balled into fists at his side as he thought about how badly everything had went. He'd never felt so desperate and furious in all his life. A gut-wrenching sound tore from his lips as he dropped to the ground, screaming out his frustrations to the world. He raised his fists high above his head and slammed them into the cold, hard, unforgiving earth, sending small shock waves out and creating small craters.

All sound in the forest ceased, the animals skittering away in fear. He didn't bother moving from his spot as he welcomed the silence around him. The only sounds were the blood rushing in his ears and his ragged breath as he fought to regain control. He knew that this was a losing battle. He'd never be in control of anything again. Reality as he knew was off-kilter. Nothing was the way he remembered, the way it should be. Everything was all wrong and he didn't see anyway of making it right again.

Finally finding a small center of peace, Goten stood and began walking in the direction of his brother's house. He desperately needed to talk to Gohan. Gohan, with all of his intelligence, would hopefully help him find some tranquility and show him a way to adjust with everything that has happened in such a short time. At the very least, they could fight until he didn't have the energy or strength to move or think.

The mile and a half to his brother's house went quickly as Goten skillfully kept his mind blank. Walking up to the door, he didn't pause to knock as he grabbed the knob and turned it to let himself in. Neither the knob nor the door budged. It was locked. Goten looked down at the handle in confusion. Why would Gohan lock his door? Even when he wasn't home he never bothered locking his house, not living all the way out here.

Goten frowned as he raised his hand and did something he had never had to do since his brother moved out of his mother's home. He knocked. Two loud raps and he stepped away from the door, waiting for someone to answer. A minute passed and no one came to the door, so he knocked again. It was louder this time, causing every window in the house to shake. Still, there was nothing. Not even the sound of anyone inside.

Perturbed, Goten walked away from the house, but he didn't go home. He did not feel like sitting in the empty house alone. There were too many memories there for him. He and Bra had spent plenty of time in his home in the beginning of their relationship, a relationship that by all means, should still be going strong. No, he needed to go somewhere quite and think.

He walked deep into the woods, not really paying any attention to where he was going; just letting his feet take him where they would. Eventually, he found himself at the river that he used to fish in as a small boy. He smiled, thinking of all the fond memories he had here. This was the perfect spot for him to relax and come up with a solution. Sitting down in the lotus position, he shut his eyes and emptied his mind. Concentrating on his peaceful surroundings, he let the sound of the rushing river take him away.

Hours later, his eyes popped back open and he looked around disorientated. It was dark out now, the dense forest trees letting little of the moonlight in. Uncrossing his legs, he stretched them out in front of him; raising his arms above his head, he let a loud yawn out. _Must've fallen asleep_, he thought as he stood. It didn't matter though; he would've spent days out here if he had to. Luckily, the answer to all his problems came to him during his meditations this night. With a wicked grin and renewed vigor, he began his walk home.

It took him longer to get home than it should have. He spent the time leisurely going over every detail of his plan. If everything went accordingly, things would be back to the way he remembered them, Bra with him and not pregnant by Uubu.

Reaching the house, he saw that all the lights were off, his mother having already gone to bed. Without making a sound, he opened the front door and tiptoed his way through the house. When he reached his room, he barely made it to his bed before he passed out. He couldn't ever remember being so tired.


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own Dragonball Z.

Fear Inside – Chapter 6

* * *

Goten woke early the next morning. It seemed he was getting into the habit of doing that lately. Washing quickly, he bounded down the stairs to find his mother working hard at breakfast. Taking a deep whiff of the delicious smelling food, he sat down.

"Good morning, Goten," Chi-Chi said brightly as she set the food down on the table. "You're looking well today. Sleep well?"

"Yep," he responded happily. He didn't really remember what he dreamed about the night before. All he could really recall was Bra's soft voice whispering something in his ear. It was all he needed for his day to start out right. He felt that it was a good omen.

"What are your plans for today?" His mother asked him as she sat down at the table.

"I'm planning on visiting Trunks today. I have a few things I want to go over with him."

"That's nice." Chi-Chi replied distractedly. She didn't really seem to be paying attention to him, which was weird. His mother was always interested in what he did and usually asked a million different questions. "Well," she began, "I'm going to go to the market today for some shopping."

Goten gave her a weird look. "I thought you went shopping yesterday," he said with a raised brow.

"Oh no," she said not looking directly at him. "I did the laundry yesterday."

Goten frowned. Was his mother losing it? She was acting very strange. She didn't look sick or as if she was under any stress. He gave a mental shrug and stored it away for future evaluation. She was a grown woman and knew how to take care of herself. He had other things to worry about and when he was through the woman before him would be completely different anyway.

Finishing his breakfast, he jumped up from the table and put his dishes in the sink. "I'll see you later," he said as he gave her a light kiss on the cheek and ran out the door.

Jumping into the sky, he flew as fast as he could, even going super to gain more speed. He wanted to catch Trunks before he went into work this morning. His friend was a key player in his little scheme. It took him no time to reach the city limits. Powering down, he landed inside the Capsule Corporations back yard and ran inside.

He found Trunks in the kitchen reading the morning paper, dressed in a classy black suit, his briefcase sitting next to him. Goten had to suppress a grin. He always found it amusing that Trunks was a businessman. He was so much like his mother.

"Trunks, my man, glad I could catch you. We need to talk." Goten said, pulling up a chair across from him.

Trunks set down his paper and smiled at his friend. "You seem to be in better spirits today. I heard about what happened yesterday. How are you really doing?"

Goten scowled and looked away. "Well, yesterday was bad, no doubt, but I have an idea. I think I've come up with a way to set things straight."

Trunks leaned forward. "What do you have in mind," he asked suspiciously. "You don't plan on killing Uubu, do you?"

Goten laughed. "Well, I won't tell you that the idea didn't cross my mind a few times, but no that isn't it."

"Pan gave me that idea," Trunks said, joining in with Goten's laughter.

"Pan?" Goten asked still grinning madly. "Come on now. You know there isn't a murderous bone in my body."

"Right. Well, after the other day I wasn't so sure. You looked ready to do something drastic."

"I am ready to do something drastic. This place just isn't right. I can feel it all the way to the core. This came to me while meditating yesterday. Somehow, by my disappearing and reappearing years later, it has upset some unseen balance. Don't you feel it?" Goten said leaning toward Trunks with a mad glint in his eye.

Trunks sat back and frowned. "Things do seem a little off since you've shown up . . . " he said slowly, "I don't see what that has to do with anything, though."

"That's just it. I'm not supposed to be here. I'm not just in the wrong time. I'm in the wrong dimension all together. When I was meditating, it didn't even feel like I was really here."

"You're losing me." Trunks cut in.

Goten groaned and tried to explain it better. "Like right now. You're sitting right across from me, but it feels like you're miles away. Last night while meditating, it felt as if I was right where I belonged. That if I only kept my mind clear for a little while longer, I'd wake up and things would be right again."

Trunks shook his head. "You aren't making any sense, Goten. And so what if you're right and this isn't the place you're suppose to be. What does that make this place then and how do you plan to get back to where you 'belong'," Trunks said making quotation marks with his fingers, "are you going to meditate yourself there?"

Goten shook his head not phased by Trunks' sarcastic attitude. "Not exactly. I need you to find that gun-thing Bra built that day and zap me with it again. If I'm right then it should take me to the right time. You see, I think the problem was using that time machine to get back. I have this theory that you aren't able to use two different forms of time travel because each one is different from the other and will take you to different points in time and to different dimensions."

Trunks let his jaw slowly become unhinged as he listened to Goten's ranting. "That really doesn't make any sense, what-so-ever. Also, it won't work."

"Huh?" Goten uttered.

"Bra destroyed that thing a long time ago, so there is no way of even trying to prove your theory. And even if she hadn't, how do you know it will work again? How do you know it won't send you back to the dimension you just came from?"

Goten's face fell. The gun was gone, now what was he supposed to do? "I don't know," he said crestfallen. He sat there for a few moments thinking of some other way to make his plan work. "I know!" he cried almost jumping out of his chair. "How about you build me a time machine?"

Trunks blanched. "I hate to rain on your parade, Goten, but I don't know how to build a time machine. I've never even studied the theory of time travel. Besides, that could take years."

"What about Bulma? She was the original inventor of the machine. I'm sure she's studied it before." Goten said hopefully.

Trunks shook his head. "Sorry. Mom hasn't built anything in a while. She spends most of her time hounding me at the office and telling me how bad I'm fucking up her company. Speaking of which, I have a board meeting to attend soon and if I'm late, I'll never hear the end of it. Sorry, Goten, it looks as if you're going to have to find a way to live in this world," he said as he stood, grabbing his brief case. "I'll talk to you later, ok?"

Goten sat back heavily in his chair. "You're not even going to try?" he said with a slight whine to his voice.

"I just don't see how it's possible," Trunks said with a shake of his head. "I've got to go now anyway. Instead of trying to figure out a way to get my sister back, why don't you find someone else? There are plenty of other women out there." With that, he walked from the room.

Goten sat in the kitchen fuming at his best friend. It didn't seem like Trunks to turn down a challenge like this. It was one more reason that justified his theory. Things were not right in this place. How could he even think of finding someone else when his perfect match was right here? He stood, deciding to go kill time and energy beating the crap out of himself in the gravity room. If nothing else, he could increase his fighting potential.

He walked across the back lawn to the gravity room finding it already in use. His eyes narrowed. There could only be one person working out this early in the morning: Vegeta. That was fine by him. He had a few things he needed to get off his chest to the Saiyan Prince anyway.

He pulled open the door, causing the safety switch to come on and turn off the high gravity. Just as he expected there stood Vegeta, looking none too happy at having his work interrupted.

"What do you want, brat?" The Saiyan Prince growled out.

Goten snorted and stepped into the room. "Oh, you're bothering to ask me that now? Why couldn't you have asked that when I was proposing to your daughter instead of ruining my life?"

Vegeta turned to him sharply. "What do I care about your life? It has nothing to do with me or my family."

"No thanks to you." Goten shot back.

"Did you come here just to talk about things that cannot be changed?" Vegeta said with a smug smirk.

Goten could tell that he was secretly proud of himself. It infuriated him that this man, who was like a father to him for so many years, would go through such trouble to keep him away from his daughter. "No," Goten said matching his smirk with one of his own, "I think we have some unfinished business."

* * *

Bra stopped her aircar in front of her former home and got out. It was about noon and she was supposed to meet her mother for lunch here. She walked up to the front door and let herself in, heading straight for the living room. She found her mother there, watching some soap opera on television.

"Hey, mom, I'm here," she announced sitting down next to her.

Bulma shushed her as she sat engrossed in the shallow plot of the show. Bra rolled her eyes and made herself comfortable, knowing she'd be there for a while. A commercial came on after five long minutes of watching the worse acting ever put on TV.

"Ugh, how can you watch that stuff?" Bra said in a clearly disgusted voice.

Bulma smiled at her youngest child. "It's an acquired taste, sweetheart. How are you today?"

"Good and hungry. Where are we having lunch?" Bra asked, her stomach growling at the thought of food.

Bulma laughed. "I'm not sure. We could go to Antonio's, I hear they have very good food."

Bra crinkled her nose. "I'm not really in the mood for Italian. It gives me heartburn. How about we go to Rosetta? I could really go for sea food right now."

"Rosetta sounds good. They have a wonderful dessert selection." Bulma agreed.

Bra grinned. "Then it's settled. Rosetta's it is!"

The two women stood to leave when suddenly there was a loud explosion that rocked the house. They both dropped to the floor on instinct, covering their heads as the windows around them shattered.

"Oh no, Vegeta!" Bulma cried as things began to settle down.

Jumping up, they ran out of the house to find the rubble of what was once the gravity machine strewn across the lawn.

"Oh my god! Daddy!" Bra shouted. Being the stronger of the two, Bra ran to the largest rubble pile and began tossing aside the heavy slabs of metal. After frantic minutes of searching, she finally found her father. With all her strength and her mother's help, she began pulling his half-conscious body from the debris.

"What's going on?" Trunks yelled as he ran into the back yard.

"Trunks help!" Bra sobbed tears running down her face.

He ran over and took their father from her with ease. Vegeta became lucid at that point and shoved away from his son. Standing on wobbly legs, he looked around. "Where is Goten?" He asked, his voice wavering.

"Goten was in there?" Trunks asked as he looked over to the massive pile of twisted metal.

Vegeta said nothing as he fought to stay conscious. His legs began to give out, but Bulma caught him and ease him to the ground as best she could, knowing he would only accept her support right now.

The two young Demi-Saiyans ran back to the scrap heap and began looking for their friend. "Bra get away," Trunks grunted as he picked up a large part of what was once a wall, "you shouldn't be lifting this stuff. It's not safe."

"But Trunks," Bra protested, but he cut her off.

"Get out of the way!"

She backed up and let him work. She knew that she would only get in his way right now. He was lifting the larger, more intact pieces and she didn't really have the strength to do that. Trunks worked desperately. He could only imagine what shape Goten would be in if his father was so badly hurt. He could only hope that he wasn't already dead.

Half hour went by and there was no sign of him. Trunks had already gone through all the rubble, but still hadn't found him. Now they were searching the yard and neighboring yards thinking that maybe his body had been tossed during the explosion.

Time passed and hours went by as they looked, but there was nothing left of him. Finally, sweaty, tired and exhausted, the kids went back to Capsule Corp. Inside the service bots were already cleaning up the broken glass and repairmen had been called to fix the windows.

"Did he return?" Bra asked her mother hopefully when she found her in the kitchen.

Bulma shook her head sadly. "No, dear, we don't know what happened to him."

"How's daddy?" She asked as she sat down next to her.

"Your father will be fine. It's nothing he hasn't handle before," Bulma said softly.

Bra felt the tears well up in her eyes. She didn't bother trying to stop them. They rolled freely down her face. "How could this have happened again? Why? I don't understand, mom. He just got back. I..." she trailed off, a lump forming in her throat.

Bulma put an arm around her daughter's shoulders in an attempt to comfort her. "I don't know, sweetie. I just don't know."

Trunks stood in the doorway watching the heartbreaking scene. It was just like the last time and he knew that this time Goten would not be coming back.


	7. Chapter 7

I do not own Dragonball Z.

Fear Inside -Chapter 7

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He had the sensation of falling. Somehow, it seemed familiar. He didn't bother opening his eyes and looking around, he knew that there was nothing for him to see. This had happened to him before. A long time ago in some lost and forgotten dream.

The sensation of falling slowly came to a stop and he was aware of something soft and smooth brushing against his cheek. He leaned into it and sighed happily when it responded in kind. Vaguely he could hear voices, but they sounded so far away. He listened as they echoed in his head.

"I swear, daddy, if he doesn't wake up I'll never forgive you for this."

That voice sounded so familiar. There were other voices in the background too, but he could only make out that one. It sounded like Bra. Was she worried for him? What had happened? The last thing he remembered was fighting with Vegeta and then BAM! Everything went black. Slowly, he let the sound of her voice bring him back and he opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was the vision of an angel standing over him. Soft, blue hair brushed the side of his face as she turned to him and bright blue eyes met his own. He saw worry there and a great deal of relief. He didn't move or blink, he simply held her gaze for as long as he possibly could.

She smiled down at him. A beautiful smile that he couldn't help but return. The movement made his head hurt something awful and he winced. She brought her hand back to his face and stroked his cheek.

"How are you feeling, Goten? Are you okay?" She asked him, her voice soft.

"My head hurts, but I think I'll live," he whispered back. "What happened?"

She frowned. "You were fighting with daddy when he shot you with my stun gun."

Goten's eyes widened. "Your gun?" He choked out, confused.

Bra nodded her head. "It's still experimental, but it's supposed to stun an attacker and render him in a comatose like state and induce nightmares. It didn't have any settings so I believe he shot you at full force. Are you sure you're okay?" She asked him again.

"Stun gun?" Goten questioned again. "Where's Uubu?"

Bra frowned worriedly. "I don't know, Goten. No one has seen Uubu in several years, I think. Why would you ask about him?"

Goten shot up from the bed, never minding the throbbing in his head. He looked around the room. He saw Trunks and next to him was Pan. She looked like the little girl he remembered from before. He saw his mother wiping tears from her eyes standing next to his brother and Videl on the other side of him.

"I told you the brat would be fine," a harsh voice grated out from the far corner of the room.

He found Vegeta, scowling at him for all that he was worth and Bulma glaring dangerously at him in return. "What's going on? I don't understand. Did the gravity room explode?"

He looked to Bra who had a very worried look on her face now. She turned to Gohan who stepped up to the bed and gently, but firmly pushed him back down. "Calm down, little brother. You weren't in the gravity room. You were in the labs downstairs. Now, you've been out for several hours and may have suffered some kind of head injury. Why don't you tell me the last thing you remember," Gohan said as he pulled out a small penlight and shined it in his eyes.

Goten blinked at the brightness, but said nothing for a long minute. He was still trying to take in everything. "What year is it?" He asked at last.

Gohan gave him a strange look. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"Just answer." Goten said impatiently as he locked eyes with Bra who was standing at his bedside.

"801 A.D." Gohan replied standing back up.

Goten's face lite up at the news and he grabbed Bra pulling her down into the bed with him. She gasped, her eyes flaring wide as she looked around at the shocked faces in the room. "Goten, what are you doing?"

"This," he answered pressing his lips to hers in a sweet kiss. Some in the room he could hear Vegeta's angry protest, but he didn't care. He wasn't going to let him ruin the moment this time. He would do this in front of everyone and let them all know how he feels. Reaching into his pocket, for once he didn't hesitate in grabbing the ring. Breaking the kiss, he pulled it out and held it up for her to see. Her eyes got wider, if it was at all possible, as she looked at the magnificence of the ring. Everyone in the room gasped and Goten wasted no more time. "Will you marry me, Bra? Say you'll be mine forever."

Bra looked into his eyes, not knowing what to say. She did the only thing she could think to do, nod her head as tears filled her eyes. The women in the room cheered their approval, while Gohan and Trunks merely shook their heads in disbelief.

Vegeta yelled his disapproval as the newly engaged couple kissed once again. "I will not let my daughter marry some low-class idiot's son!"

Bulma snorted and grabbed her husband by the arm, towing him out of the room to give the couple some privacy. "You have no choice, Vegeta. You've already caused enough trouble today."

Bra leaned back from the heavenly kiss and looked deeply into her lover's eyes. "I love you, Goten. Forever."

"I'll love you forever, too," he replied.

The end!


End file.
